Global Leadership Series: Putting your immune system to work

13 July 2017 6:00pm–8:00pm

Due to popular demand this Global Leadership Series event has sold out. If you would like to be placed on the waitlist, please email uqalumni@uq.edu.au

There has been a quiet revolution in the management of cancer and of autoimmune disease – reprogramming of the immune system to deliver health benefits is now a reality in cancer, and is rapidly becoming so in Autoimmunity.

Speakers

Professor Riccardo Dolcetti

Professor Riccardo Dolcetti is a senior Oncologist and Immunologist, who led the Cancer Bio-Immunotherapy Unit at the Centro Riferimento Oncologico – National Cancer Institute, Aviano, Italy since November 2015 when he moved to the University of Queensland Diamantina Institute to take the position of Research Chair in Cancer Medicine. He has been the President of the Italian Society for Cancer Research (2012-13). His main research and clinical focus are in the fields of cancer immunotherapy/immunomonitoring and infection-driven tumors. He published over 200 journal articles, 20 book chapters and is co-inventor of two patents.

Professor Ian Frazer, AC

Professor Ian Frazer is a clinician scientist, trained as a clinical immunologist in Scotland. As a professor at the University of Queensland, he leads a research group working at TRI in Brisbane, Australia on the immunobiology of epithelial cancers. He is recognised as co-inventor of the technology enabling the HPV vaccines, currently used worldwide to help prevent cervical cancer. He heads a biotechnology company, Admedus Vaccines, working on new vaccine technologies, and is a board member of several companies and not for profit organisations. He is current president of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences, and a member of the Commonwealth Science Council. Most recently appointed chair of the federal governments Medical Research Future Fund. He was recognised as Australian of the Year in 2006. He was recipient of the Prime Ministers Prize for Science, and of the Balzan Prize, in 2008, and was elected Fellow of the Royal Society of London in 2012. He was appointed Companion of the Order of Australia in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list in 2013.

Professor Ranjeny Thomas

Professor Thomas is a graduate of the University of Western Australia. She received her MBBS in 1984, and then trained in Perth as a rheumatologist. She commenced a research fellowship with Peter Lipsky at Southwestern Medical Center, University of Texas in 1990, where she first identified and characterised human circulating dendritic cell precursors. She is now Professor of Rheumatology at University of Queensland, Translational Research Institute and fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences.

Her research is focussed on the study of autoimmune disease and restoration of tolerance. Through this work, she developed and tested the first rheumatoid arthritis vaccine. She has also contributed major insights into the pathogenesis of spondyloarthropathy and autoimmune diabetes, leading to the development of disease biomarkers and therapeutic strategies. Ranjeny is founder and a director of the spin-off company, Dendright, which is developing vaccines to suppress autoimmune diseases.

About Global Leadership Series

The Global Leadership Series is a lively program of events for alumni and community. Join us for lectures and discussions with the best of the best UQ-related speakers on matters that impact your community and shape your ideas of the world.

The series is an opportunity for you to engage with great minds on global matters, participate in thought-provoking discussions and network with UQ alumni and community members. All alumni, parents, community members and friends are welcome to attend the Global Leadership Series events.